Printing machine



Sept. 17, 1963 s. A. MANNA PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16, 1961 INVENTOR SLLVANO A. MANNA KAQL. b). Floaxc ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,103,877 PRINTING MACHINE Silvano A. Manna, Willimansett, Mass, assignor to Diamond National Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 152,818 4 Claims. (Ci. 101-35) The present invention relates to printing machines and has particular reference to rotary printing machines used to apply more than one color in printing a configuration on an object.

Although accurate printing of several colors on continuous rolls of sheet material has been accomplished, there is still difficulty experienced by machines in the prior art in maintaining such accuracy on separate or noncontinuous articles passing under more than one printing roller.

The outstanding advantage of the present invention resides in the ability of the new printing machine to achieve and maintain an accurate relationship among several individual color configurations which may be printed onto the top of objects such as egg cartons.

With the accurate printing allowed by the present invention, the use of a wider and more complex range of printing designs is permitted.

Also, the accurate printing with the present invention permits a more eeifctive use of product perforations if they are required.

The machine of the present invention will insure improved printing, disregarding the possibility of roller chain stretch or the need of stopping or starting the machine.

Basically, the present invention provides a novel and improved means of first printing a configuration on an object with a printing roller in one color, and then passing the object into contact with a second printing roller using a different color ink, with an extremely accurate relationship maintained between the individual color configurations.

These, as well as further advantages which are inherent in the invention, will become apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric of a two color rotary I printer.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated the printing cylinder drives and timing sprocket drives of a rotary printer producing configurations in two colors with the present invention. Items with which the machine of the present invention may be used would include the printing on egg cartons. These cartons are picked up and transported through the printing machine on individual carriage blocks 11. Car riage blocks 11 are conveyed by means of roller chain 12 which passes under drive shaft 13.

Mounted on the printing machine drive shaft 13 is drive gear 14 which drives both gears 15 and 16 in the same direction. Drive gear 14 and driven gears 15 and 16 are preferably split gears and therefore may be adjusted to eliminate excessive backlash. The respective shafts 17 and 18 on which gears 15 and 16 are mounted rotate printing cylinders 19 and 21, respectively, in the same direction as gears 15 and 16 and therefore in the same direction as each other. The printing cylinders 19 and 21, each using a different color ink print the top of the egg cartons which pass in a straight line directly beneath cylinders 19 and 21 carried on carriage blocks 11.

In order that there is a proper relationship between the colors, two in the illustrated case, imposed on the egg carton tops, the movement of the egg cartons on their carriage blocks 11 as they pass under printing cylinders 3,103,877 Patented Sept; 1 7, 1963 "ice 19 and 21, respectively, must be accurately controlled. This is accomplished in the following manner.

Mounted on drive shaft 13 in a single pulley 22 which engages timing belt 23 and double pulley 24 which engages timing belts 25 and 26. Pulleys \27, 28 and 29 are engaged by timing belts 23, 25 and 26, respectively. These three pulleys are located in a straight horizontal line and all rotate at the same speed in the same direction. Timing sprockets 31, 32, and 33 are mounted on the respective shafts also having pulleys 27 28, and 29 mounted thereto, thereby rotating these shafts as the respective pulleys 27, 28, and 29 are rotated.

Roller chain 12 conveys carriage blocks 11 with egg cartons or similar type articles, having the area upon which the printed matter will be placed facing upward toward printing cylinders 19 and 21, in a straight line.'

Attached to carriage blocks 11 are equally spaced cam followers 34 located on both sides of blocks 11. As the carriage blocks 11 approaches the printing area of the machine of the present invention, the timing sprockets 33, 31, and 32, respectively, engage, and align and control the movement of cam followers 34 which in turn insures considerable accuracy in the positioning of the printed matter of each color on the egg cartons.

Although not illustrated in the figure, the printing cylinders l19 and 21 have the appropriate configurations which it is desired to print placed thereon. Also, the printing cylinders are supplied with proper quantities of ink by separate sets of inking rollers in contact with each printing cylinder.

Embodying the principles of the present invention and through the use of additional components, use may be made of additional printing cylinders and therefore of additional colors.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specification will occur to others and therefore it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the appended claims and not by the embodiments described hereinabove.

What is claimed is:

l. A printing machine for printing a plurality of colors on an object comprising a drive shaft, a drive gear mounted on said driveshaft and rotated thereby, a first idler shaft and a second idler shaft mounted in parallel relation to said drive shaft, a first idler gear and a second idler gear mounted on said first and second idler shafts respectively and in meshing contact with said drive gear, a printing cylinder mounted on each of said idler shafts in concentric rotational relationship with said idler gear mounted thereon, a plurality of pulleys mounted on said drive shaft in rotational relationship with said drive gear, a plurality of timing belts with one of said timing belts in rotational relationship with one of each of said pulleys, a plurality of idler pulleys With one of said idler pulleys in rotational relationship with each of said timing belts, a plurality of timing sprockets with one of said timing sprockets in concentric rotational relationship with each one of said idler pulleys, a carriage block assembly for holding the object on which a plurality of colored configurations will be printed as the object comes in contact with each of said printing cylinders in turn, and a roller chain attached to said carriage block assembly to convey said carriage block assembly under each of said printing cylinders in turn, said carriage block assembly including cam followers located so as to make operational contact with each of said timing sprockets in turn whereby the movement of said carriage block assembly under each of said printing cylinders is controlled to insure accuracy in the relative printing of the different configurations from each of said printing cylinders onto the object on said carriage block assembly.

2. A printing machine for printing a plurality of colors on an object comprising a driving means, a first gear means mounted onsaid driving means and rotated thereby, a plurality of idler gear means mounted in operational relationship with said first gear means, a plurality of printing cylinders with each of said printing cylinders mounted in concentric rotational relationship with one of said plurality of idler gear means, a plurality of pulleys mounted in operational relationship with said driving means and rotated thereby, a plurality of belt means with one of said plurality of belt means in rotational relationship with each one of said plurality of pulleys, a plurality of timing sprockets with one of said timing sprockets in rotational relationship with one each of said plurality of pulleys and belt means, a carriage assembly for holding the object on which a plurality of colored configurations will be printed as the object comes in contact with each of said printing cylinders in turn, flexible conveyor means attached to said carriage assembly to move said carriage assembly under each of said printing cylinders in turn whereby slack in said flexible conveyor means may afiect the alignment of a carriage assembly in travel between said plurality of printing cylinders, and cam followers positioned at said carriage assembly location so as to make operational contact with each of said timing sprockets in turn whereby the movement of said carriage assembly under each of said printing cylinders in turn is controlled to insure accuracy in the relative position of printing each of the colored configurations.

3. The printing machine of claim 2, further characterized by said first gear means and said idler gear means being split gears whereby adjustment may be made to eliminate excessive backlash.

4. A printing machine for printing a plurality of colors on an object comprising a driving means, a plurality of printing cylinders in rotational operational relationship with said driving means, a plurality of timing sprockets also in rotational operational relations-hip with said driving means, a carriage means holding the object upon which a plurality of colors are to be printed, a flexible conveyor means to move said carriage means adjacent to each of said plurality of printing cylinders in turn whereby slack in said flexible conveyor means may atfect the alignment of a carriage assembly in travel between said plurality of printing cylinders, cam followers positioned at said carriage means location so as to make operational contact with each of said plurality of timing sprockets in turn whereby the movement of said carriage means under each of said printing cylinders in turn is controlled to insure accuracy in the relative position of printing each of the colored configurations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,105,399 Booth Jan. 11, 1938 2,112,216 Wood Mar. 22, 1938 2,654,464 Carlson Oct. 6, 1953 2,883,928 Hayward Apr. 28, 1959 

1. A PRINTING MACHINE FOR PRINTING A PLURALITY OF COLORS ON AN OBJECT COMPRISING A DRIVE SHAFT, A DRIVE GEAR MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND ROTATED THEREBY, A FIRST IDLER SHAFT AND A SECOND IDLER SHAFT MOUNTED IN PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, A FIRST IDLER GEAR AND A SECOND IDLER GEAR MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST AND SECOND IDLER SHAFTS RESPECTIVELY AND IN MESHING CONTACT WITH SAID DRIVE GEAR, A PRINTING CYLINDER MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID IDLER SHAFTS IN CONCENTRIC ROTATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID IDLER GEAR MOUNTED THEREON, A PLURALITY OF PULLEYS MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT IN ROTATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID DRIVE GEAR, A PLURALITY OF TIMING BELTS WITH ONE OF SAID TIMING BELTS IN ROTATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE OF EACH OF SAID PULLEYS, A PLURALITY OF IDLER PULLEYS WITH ONE OF SAID IDLER PULLEYS IN ROTATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OF SAID TIMING BELTS, A PLURALITY OF TIMING SPROCKETS WITH ONE OF SAID TIMING SPROCKETS IN CONCENTRIC ROTATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH ONE OF SAID IDLER PULLEYS, A CARRIAGE BLOCK ASSEMBLY FOR HOLDING THE OBJECT ON WHICH A PLURALITY OF COLORED CONFIGURATIONS WILL BE PRINTED AS THE OBJECT COMES IN CONTACT WITH EACH OF SAID PRINTING CYLINDERS IN TURN, AND A ROLLER CHAIN ATTACHED TO SAID CARRIAGE BLOCK ASSEMBLY TO CONVEY SAID CARRIAGE BLOCK ASSEMBLY UNDER EACH OF SAID PRINTING CYLINDERS IN TURN, SAID CARRIAGE BLOCK ASSEMBLY INCLUDING CAM FOLLOWERS LOCATED SO AS TO MAKE OPERATIONAL CONTACT WITH EACH OF SAID TIMING SPROCKETS IN TURN WHEREBY THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE BLOCK ASSEMBLY UNDER EACH OF SAID PRINTING CYLINDERS IS CONTROLLED TO INSURE ACCURACY IN THE RELATIVE PRINTING OF THE DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS FROM EACH OF SAID PRINTING CYLINDERS ONTO THE OBJECT ON SAID CARRIAGE BLOCK ASSEMBLY. 